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Objective: Feeding practices used by educators in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings can influence the diet quality of young children. However, Australian data is scarce and limited to describing barriers to responsive feeding. This study describes the use of feeding practices amongst a group of Australian educators.Design: Direct observation of feeding practices and assessment of centre policy were conducted using the 'Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation' tool. Self-reported feeding practices and demographic data were collected via online survey using the Childcare Food and Activity Practices Questionnaire.Setting: Ten centre-based ECEC services in South East Queensland, Australia.Participants: Educators working in ECEC.Results: A total of 120 meals were observed and 88 educators provided self-report data (n 84 female). Centre policy supported the use of responsive feeding practices, and this was reflected in the high frequency with which children could decide what and how much to eat, across both observed and self-report data as well as low levels of pressure to eat and use of food as a reward (observed at 19·9 % and 0 % of meals). The only apparent discrepancy was regarding modelling. Median score for self-reported role-modelling was 5·0 (4·3-5·0) and educators were observed to sit with children at 75 % of meals, however observed occasions of enthusiastic role modelling was only 22 % (0-33·3) of meals.Conclusions: Research addressing how educators conceptualise feeding practices, as well under what circumstances they are used, particularly in centres with different models of food provision, may shed light on why modelling is rarely implemented in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the quality and quantity of foods and beverages provided to children aged 0-5 years in family day care and identify structural and sociodemographic factors associated with the nutritional quality of food provided.Design: A cross-sectional study measured the food and beverages provided to children using weighed food records. The number of serves from different food groups was calculated according to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, and a healthy food provision index score was created. Associations between structural and sociodemographic factors and healthy food provision index scores were analysed using linear mixed models.Setting: Family day care services in two large geographic areas in New South Wales, Australia.Participants: One hundred and four children in thirty-three family day care services.Results: During attendance at childcare, most children met recommended servings of fruit but not dairy, vegetables, lean meat and meat alternatives and wholegrains. Discretionary foods exceeded recommendations. Children's age, socio-economic status and the type of main meal provided were significantly associated with the healthy food provision index score.Conclusions: Foods provided to children in family day care are aligned with dietary recommendations for fruit but not vegetables, dairy, lean meat and meat alternatives, wholegrains or discretionary foods. Interventions to promote healthy eating are needed to support families and educators to improve the nutritional quality of food provided to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to profile vegetable consumption and its association with dietary and sociodemographic factors.Design: Secondary analysis of a nationally representative nutrition survey. 'Vegetables' refers to non-discretionary 'vegetables and legumes/beans' as defined by the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG). Prevalence of vegetable consumption, frequency of intake, proportion meeting ADG recommendations, most popular food groups, intake at each reported eating occasion, and the profile of high and low vegetable consumers (based on the median servings) were determined.Setting: Australian 2011-2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey.Participants: Children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 years (n 2812).Results: Vegetables were consumed by 83·0% (95% CI 81·6, 84·4%) of participants, but the median vegetable servings was less than a third of the ADG recommendations. 'Leaf and stalk vegetables' and 'potatoes' were the most popular vegetable-dense food groups at lunch and dinner, respectively. Sixty-four percent had vegetables once a day, and predominantly at dinner. Vegetable frequency was positively associated with daily vegetable servings and variety. Participants who consumed vegetables twice a day generally had vegetables at both lunch and dinner and had nearly double the servings (2·6, sd 1·9) of those who consumed them once (1·5, sd 1·5). High vegetable consumers were older, had higher total energy, but lower discretionary energy intake and were less likely to be at risk of metabolic complications.Conclusion: Increasing the frequency of vegetable consumption may assist with increasing daily vegetable servings. A focus on consuming vegetables at lunch may assist with increasing both total servings and variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: With the intention to inform future public health initiatives, we aimed to determine the extent to which typical childhood dietary trajectories predict adolescent cardiovascular phenotypes.Design: Longitudinal study. Exposure was determined by a 4 d food diary repeated over eight waves (ages 4-15 years), coded by Australian Dietary Guidelines and summed into a continuous diet score (0-14). Outcomes were adolescent (Wave 8, age 15 years) blood pressure, resting heart rate, pulse wave velocity, carotid intima-media thickness, retinal arteriole-to-venule ratio. Latent class analysis identified 'typical' dietary trajectories from childhood to adolescence. Adjusted linear regression models assessed relationships between trajectories and cardiovascular outcomes, adjusted for a priori potential confounders.Setting: Community sample, Melbourne, Australia.Subjects: Children (n 188) followed from age 4 to 15 years.Results: Four dietary trajectories were identified: unhealthy (8 %); moderately unhealthy (25 %); moderately healthy (46 %); healthy (21 %). There was little evidence that vascular phenotypes associated with the trajectories. However, resting heart rate (beats/min) increased (β; 95 % CI) across the healthy (reference), moderately healthy (4·1; -0·6, 8·9; P=0·08), moderately unhealthy (4·5; -0·7, 9·7; P=0·09) and unhealthy (10·5; 2·9, 18·0; P=0·01) trajectories.Conclusions: Decade-long dietary trajectories did not appear to influence macro- or microvascular structure or stiffness by mid-adolescence, but were associated with resting heart rate, suggesting an early-life window for prevention. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings, the threshold of diet quality associated with these physiological changes and whether functional changes in heart rate are followed by phenotypic change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]